Wright Medical Technology, Inc.

Phillips Plastics Corporation

Bradley R Heckendorf

Jeffrey G Marx

James R Johnson

John Jeffrey Venarsky

Majid Entezarian

Justin C Peskar

Richard Smasal

Thomas M Fitch

James J Cassidy

Brian L Norberg

Ying Ko

A method for forming a ceramic article useful as a bone substitute and having an outer surface defining a shape having a bulk volume and having open, interconnecting openings extending throughout the volume and opening through the surface, includes, providing an organic open-pore structure, coating surface of pores of the structure with a ceramic slip, pyrolyzing the organic structure to leave a ceramic structure having struts defining a plurality of interconnecting interstices, and providing within the interstices a porous osteoconductive composition exposed to the interconnecting openings. In a preferred embodiment, the ceramic slip includes a strong, supportive ceramic material and a separate osteoconductive material.

Process for producing rigid reticulated articles

Various embodiments of a filter are described herein. In one embodiment, a filter includes a first side and a second side both of which have openings therein. A plurality of baffle members are positioned between the first side and the second side. The plurality of baffle members may be provided as separate pieces or as part of a baffle element. The filter may be used to remove grease from cooking exhaust in residential or commercial kitchen environments. In another embodiment, the filter includes a first side which has a plurality of entry openings in it and a plurality of baffle members which define a plurality of exit openings where air exits the filter.

Baffle filter

A process for producing a rigid reticulated article involves coating a reticulated substrate which has open, interconnected porosity with a first dispersion comprising a ceramic or metal powder to form a first coating thereon; drying the coated reticulated substrate; contacting the coated reticulated substrate with one or more additional dispersions in succession to form one or more additional coatings thereon; drying the additional coatings between the steps of contacting; heating the coated reticulated substrate to pyrolyze organic components; and sintering the coated reticulated substrate to form a reticulated article, wherein each dispersion has a viscosity less than that of all preceding dispersions. A rigid reticulated article includes inner, intermediate and outer sintered layers of material in which the inner and outer layers are of different composition and the intermediate layer is a composite of the inner and outer layers.

Sacrificial inserts and molds for use in injection molding are disclosed. In one embodiment a sacrificial insert includes a water-insoluble insert which has a melting temperature greater than the injection molding melt temperature of the base material being molded. In another embodiment, a mold includes one or more of: a sacrificial insert configured to form interior features of the object; a sacrificial insert configured to form interior and exterior features of the object; and a combination of a sacrificial insert configured to form exterior features of the object and a tool configured to form interior features of the object. In another embodiment, a multi-shot injection molding process includes: providing a support base containing a tool; injecting a first material into the support base to form an integral tool and sacrificial insert; separating the tool from the sacrificial insert; retaining the sacrificial insert in the support base, or inserting the sacrificial insert into another support base optionally having a further sacrificial insert or tool; injecting a second material into the support base containing the sacrificial insert to form an integral sacrificial insert and molded object; and destructively disengaging the sacrificial insert from the molded object without substantially damaging the molded object. In another embodiment, a sacrificial insert is used to injection mold a metal or ceramic object.

Sacrificial insert for injection molding

Growing community of inventors

Menomonie, WI, United States of America

Bradley R Heckendorf